Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-10-27

in height, with intelligent but crafty fea-
lures. he had discarded native costume
and usually appeared dressed in a black
frock coat and stovepipe hat, which did
not add to his dignity. One evening
and a friend strolled into the Kings gar
den and found him sitting on the veranda
of one of his houses playing euchre with
his son Prince Abel. As we watched the
game and chattcd about cards was sur
prised TO learn that Thakambau knew
whist. 1t appeared that he had learnt the
game few years ago before when he was
the guest of Sir Hercules Robinson at Sid
new, He had not been able to make il
popular with his people, however, and
Prince Abel denounced il emphatically as
a s'fool game" At the Kings suggestion
we sat down to rubber. His Majesty ard
against my friend and Prince Abel. 1t was
soon apparent that neither Of our dusky
mariners knew much about the game.
Thakambau especially could not resist the
pleasure of taking his partners trick,
and invariably played his highest cards
whenever it came to his turn to play.
The fact that an ace took king too seemed
to cause him considerable annoyance as
being derogatory 10 the kingly dignity.
Altogether it was a game played under
difficulties and our opponents won. How
ever, the picturesGueness OF the surround
ings and the strange character OF my part
ner amply compensated for the defect.
Twenty years before Thakambau had been
q notorious cannibal. How many of the
human race had found a resting place in
his cspacious stomach it would be impos-
sible to estimate. In his earlier years
when King of Nebau his chief invariably
asked him whether he would take
"puaka belava" or ''puaka decua" for din
ner. The former means long pig, that is
human flesh, and the latter real pig. Joints
of both were in those days always kept in
the royal larder. 1t took the missionaries
many years TO wean the Fijians from this
horrible custom, and probably the intro
duction of cattle into the islands had as
much to do with abOlishing it as anything
else Addressing meeting of missionaries
in 1854, Thakambau promised TO give up
the practice save in the case Of pris-
oners taken in battle; these, how
ever, were still to be eaten, for said he:
1T is right that the breasts of my
warriors should be the graves OF my enc
mics" 1t was not until the death of his
father, Tanoe, in 1867, that he formally
forbade cannibalism and became Chris
tian. In the course of several converse
tons with Thakambau on the subject Of
eating human flesh learnt that the meth
DDS OF cooking in the FIJI Islands differed
from those in vogue in New
Zeas, ud. The meat was cut up in small
pieces previous to cooking it. 1t was then
wrapped in plaintain leaves and tied up
with fibre and placed in an oven
in the ground and allowed to cook
until the leaves and fibre were
reduced to ashes The heads were made
into soap. Thakambau told me that his
father never offered anything but 'puaka
belaya" to chief, and rs visits from the
pretty chiettains of the numerous islands
Of the group were frequent the sacrifice OF
life was terrible. The victims were always
selected from the slave classes, who never
knew from day To day when they would
be called on to furnish feast for the pal
ace. 1t was also the custom to kill and
eat the old and decrepit when they became
a burden on their relatives. Thakamhau
spoke of the custom with uudisguised dis
gust, and during the last years Of his life
did his utmost to weau his people from it.
Indeed, so strongly did ne express himself
in condemnation of it that it was hard TO
realize, rs / sat at his table in 1882, that
had l visited him a few years before |
should probably have occupied place on
his sideboard.